Dickens, Charles: The Perils of Certain English Prisoners

It was in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty-four, that I, Gill Davis to command, His Mark, having then thehonour to be a private in the Royal Marines, stood a-leaning overthe bulwarks of the armed sloop Christopher Columbus, in the SouthAmerican waters off the Mosquito shore.

My lady remarks to me, before I go any further, that there is nosuch christian-name as Gill, and that her confident opinion is, thatthe name given to me in the baptism wherein I was made, &c., wasGilbert. She is certain to be right, but I never heard of it. Iwas a foundling child, picked up somewhere or another, and I alwaysunderstood my christian-name to be Gill. It is true that I wascalled Gills when employed at Snorridge Bottom betwixt Chatham andMaidstone to frighten birds; but that had nothing to do with theBaptism wherein I was made, &c., and wherein a number of things werepromised for me by somebody, who let me alone ever afterwards as toperforming any of them, and who, I consider, must have been theBeadle. Such name of Gills was entirely owing to my cheeks, orgills, which at that time of my life were of a raspy description.

My lady stops me again, before I go any further, by laughing exactlyin her old way and waving the feather of her pen at me. That actionon her part, calls to my mind as I look at her hand with the ringson it--Well! I won't! To be sure it will come in, in its ownplace. But it's always strange to me, noticing the quiet hand, andnoticing it (as I have done, you know, so many times) a-fondlingchildren and grandchildren asleep, to think that when blood andhonour were up--there! I won't! not at present!--Scratch it out.

She won't scratch it out, and quite honourable; because we have madean understanding that everything is to be taken down, and thatnothing that is once taken down shall be scratched out. I have thegreat misfortune not to be able to read and write, and I am speakingmy true and faithful account of those Adventures, and my lady iswriting it, word for word.

I say, there I was, a-leaning over the bulwarks of the sloopChristopher Columbus in the South American waters off the Mosquitoshore: a subject of his Gracious Majesty King George of England,and a private in the Royal Marines.

In those climates, you don't want to do much. I was doing nothing.I was thinking of the shepherd (my father, I wonder?) on thehillsides by Snorridge Bottom, with a long staff, and with a roughwhite coat in all weathers all the year round, who used to let melie in a corner of his hut by night, and who used to let me go aboutwith him and his sheep by day when I could get nothing else to do,and who used to give me so little of his victuals and so much of hisstaff, that I ran away from him--which was what he wanted all along,I expect--to be knocked about the world in preference to SnorridgeBottom. I had been knocked about the world for nine-and-twentyyears in all, when I stood looking along those bright blue SouthAmerican Waters. Looking after the shepherd, I may say. Watchinghim in a half-waking dream, with my eyes half-shut, as he, and hisflock of sheep, and his two dogs, seemed to move away from theship's side, far away over the blue water, and go right down intothe sky.

"It's rising out of the water, steady," a voice said close to me. Ihad been thinking on so, that it like woke me with a start, thoughit was no stranger voice than the voice of Harry Charker, my owncomrade.

He had always a remark just like that to make, and seldom another.As soon as he had brought a thing round to what it was not, he wassatisfied. He was one of the best of men, and, in a certain sort ofa way, one with the least to say for himself. I qualify it,because, besides being able to read and write like a Quarter-master,he had always one most excellent idea in his mind. That was, Duty.Upon my soul, I don't believe, though I admire learning beyondeverything, that he could have got a better idea out of all thebooks in the world, if he had learnt them every word, and been thecleverest of scholars.

My comrade and I had been quartered in Jamaica, and from there wehad been drafted off to the British settlement of Belize, lying awayWest and North of the Mosquito coast. At Belize there had beengreat alarm of one cruel gang of pirates (there were always morepirates than enough in those Caribbean Seas), and as they got thebetter of our English cruisers by running into out-of-the-way creeksand shallows, and taking the land when they were hotly pressed, thegovernor of Belize had received orders from home to keep a sharplook-out for them along shore. Now, there was an armed sloop cameonce a-year from Port Royal, Jamaica, to the Island, laden with allmanner of necessaries, to eat, and to drink, and to wear, and to usein various ways; and it was aboard of that sloop which had touchedat Belize, that I was a-standing, leaning over the bulwarks.

The Island was occupied by a very small English colony. It had beengiven the name of Silver-Store. The reason of its being so called,was, that the English colony owned and worked a silver-mine over onthe mainland, in Honduras, and used this Island as a safe andconvenient place to store their silver in, until it was annuallyfetched away by the sloop. It was brought down from the mine to thecoast on the backs of mules, attended by friendly Indians andguarded by white men; from thence it was conveyed over to Silver-Store, when the weather was fair, in the canoes of that country;from Silver-Store, it was carried to Jamaica by the armed sloop oncea-year, as I have already mentioned; from Jamaica, it went, ofcourse, all over the world.

How I came to be aboard the armed sloop, is easily told. Four-and-twenty marines under command of a lieutenant--that officer's namewas Linderwood--had been told off at Belize, to proceed to Silver-Store, in aid of boats and seamen stationed there for the chase ofthe Pirates. The Island was considered a good post of observationagainst the pirates, both by land and sea; neither the pirate shipnor yet her boats had been seen by any of us, but they had been somuch heard of, that the reinforcement was sent. Of that party, Iwas one. It included a corporal and a sergeant. Charker wascorporal, and the sergeant's name was Drooce. He was the mosttyrannical non-commissioned officer in His Majesty's service.

The night came on, soon after I had had the foregoing words withCharker. All the wonderful bright colours went out of the sea andsky in a few minutes, and all the stars in the Heavens seemed toshine out together, and to look down at themselves in the sea, overone another's shoulders, millions deep. Next morning, we castanchor off the Island. There was a snug harbour within a littlereef; there was a sandy beach; there were cocoa-nut trees with highstraight stems, quite bare, and foliage at the top like plumes ofmagnificent green feathers; there were all the objects that areusually seen in those parts, and I am not going to describe them,having something else to tell about.

Great rejoicings, to be sure, were made on our arrival. All theflags in the place were hoisted, all the guns in the place werefired, and all the people in the place came down to look at us. Oneof those Sambo fellows--they call those natives Sambos, when theyare half-negro and half-Indian--had come off outside the reef, topilot us in, and remained on board after we had let go our anchor.He was called Christian George King, and was fonder of all handsthan anybody else was. Now, I confess, for myself, that on thatfirst day, if I had been captain of the Christopher Columbus,instead of private in the Royal Marines, I should have kickedChristian George King--who was no more a Christian than he was aKing or a George--over the side, without exactly knowing why, exceptthat it was the right thing to do.

But, I must likewise confess, that I was not in a particularlypleasant humour, when I stood under arms that morning, aboard theChristopher Columbus in the harbour of the Island of Silver-Store.I had had a hard life, and the life of the English on the Islandseemed too easy and too gay to please me. "Here you are," I thoughtto myself, "good scholars and good livers; able to read what youlike, able to write what you like, able to eat and drink what youlike, and spend what you like, and do what you like; and much youcare for a poor, ignorant Private in the Royal Marines! Yet it'shard, too, I think, that you should have all the half-pence, and Iall the kicks; you all the smooth, and I all the rough; you all theoil, and I all the vinegar." It was as envious a thing to think asmight be, let alone its being nonsensical; but, I thought it. Itook it so much amiss, that, when a very beautiful young Englishlady came aboard, I grunted to myself, "Ah! you have got a lover,I'll be bound!" As if there was any new offence to me in that, ifshe had!

She was sister to the captain of our sloop, who had been in a poorway for some time, and who was so ill then that he was obliged to becarried ashore. She was the child of a military officer, and hadcome out there with her sister, who was married to one of the ownersof the silver-mine, and who had three children with her. It waseasy to see that she was the light and spirit of the Island. AfterI had got a good look at her, I grunted to myself again, in an evenworse state of mind than before, "I'll be damned, if I don't hatehim, whoever he is!"

My officer, Lieutenant Linderwood, was as ill as the captain of thesloop, and was carried ashore, too. They were both young men ofabout my age, who had been delicate in the West India climate. Ieven took that in bad part. I thought I was much fitter for thework than they were, and that if all of us had our deserts, I shouldbe both of them rolled into one. (It may be imagined what sort ofan officer of marines I should have made, without the power ofreading a written order. And as to any knowledge how to command thesloop--Lord! I should have sunk her in a quarter of an hour!)

However, such were my reflections; and when we men were ashore anddismissed, I strolled about the place along with Charker, making myobservations in a similar spirit.

It was a pretty place: in all its arrangements partly SouthAmerican and partly English, and very agreeable to look at on thataccount, being like a bit of home that had got chipped off and hadfloated away to that spot, accommodating itself to circumstances asit drifted along. The huts of the Sambos, to the number of five-and-twenty, perhaps, were down by the beach to the left of theanchorage. On the right was a sort of barrack, with a SouthAmerican Flag and the Union Jack, flying from the same staff, wherethe little English colony could all come together, if they sawoccasion. It was a walled square of building, with a sort ofpleasure-ground inside, and inside that again a sunken block like apowder magazine, with a little square trench round it, and stepsdown to the door. Charker and I were looking in at the gate, whichwas not guarded; and I had said to Charker, in reference to the bitlike a powder magazine, "That's where they keep the silver you see;"and Charker had said to me, after thinking it over, "And silverain't gold. Is it, Gill?" when the beautiful young English lady Ihad been so bilious about, looked out of a door, or a window--at allevents looked out, from under a bright awning. She no sooner saw ustwo in uniform, than she came out so quickly that she was stillputting on her broad Mexican hat of plaited straw when we saluted.

"Would you like to come in," she said, "and see the place? It israther a curious place."

We thanked the young lady, and said we didn't wish to betroublesome; but, she said it could be no trouble to an Englishsoldier's daughter, to show English soldiers how their countrymenand country-women fared, so far away from England; and consequentlywe saluted again, and went in. Then, as we stood in the shade, sheshowed us (being as affable as beautiful), how the differentfamilies lived in their separate houses, and how there was a generalhouse for stores, and a general reading-room, and a general room formusic and dancing, and a room for Church; and how there were otherhouses on the rising ground called the Signal Hill, where they livedin the hotter weather.

"Your officer has been carried up there," she said, "and my brother,too, for the better air. At present, our few residents aredispersed over both spots: deducting, that is to say, such of ournumber as are always going to, or coming from, or staying at, theMine."

("He is among one of those parties," I thought, "and I wish somebodywould knock his head off.")

"Some of our married ladies live here," she said, "during at leasthalf the year, as lonely as widows, with their children."

"Many children here, ma'am?"

"Seventeen. There are thirteen married ladies, and there are eightlike me."

There were not eight like her--there was not one like her--in theworld. She meant single.

"Which, with about thirty Englishmen of various degrees," said theyoung lady, "form the little colony now on the Island. I don'tcount the sailors, for they don't belong to us. Nor the soldiers,"she gave us a gracious smile when she spoke of the soldiers, "forthe same reason."

"Perfectly! We are all very kind to them, and they are verygrateful to us."

"Indeed, ma'am? Now--Christian George King?--"

"Very much attached to us all. Would die for us."

She was, as in my uneducated way I have observed, very beautifulwomen almost always to be, so composed, that her composure gavegreat weight to what she said, and I believed it.

Then, she pointed out to us the building like a powder magazine, andexplained to us in what manner the silver was brought from the mine,and was brought over from the mainland, and was stored here. TheChristopher Columbus would have a rich lading, she said, for therehad been a great yield that year, a much richer yield than usual,and there was a chest of jewels besides the silver.

When we had looked about us, and were getting sheepish, throughfearing we were troublesome, she turned us over to a young woman,English born but West India bred, who served her as her maid. Thisyoung woman was the widow of a non-commissioned officer in aregiment of the line. She had got married and widowed at St.Vincent, with only a few months between the two events. She was alittle saucy woman, with a bright pair of eyes, rather a neat littlefoot and figure, and rather a neat little turned-up nose. The sortof young woman, I considered at the time, who appeared to invite youto give her a kiss, and who would have slapped your face if youaccepted the invitation.

I couldn't make out her name at first; for, when she gave it inanswer to my inquiry, it sounded like Beltot, which didn't soundright. But, when we became better acquainted--which was whileCharker and I were drinking sugar-cane sangaree, which she made in amost excellent manner--I found that her Christian name was Isabella,which they shortened into Bell, and that the name of the deceasednon-commissioned officer was Tott. Being the kind of neat littlewoman it was natural to make a toy of--I never saw a woman so like atoy in my life--she had got the plaything name of Belltott. Inshort, she had no other name on the island. Even Mr. CommissionerPordage (and he was a grave one!) formally addressed her as Mrs.Belltott, but, I shall come to Mr. Commissioner Pordage presently.

The name of the captain of the sloop was Captain Maryon, andtherefore it was no news to hear from Mrs. Belltott, that hissister, the beautiful unmarried young English lady, was Miss Maryon.The novelty was, that her christian-name was Marion too. MarionMaryon. Many a time I have run off those two names in my thoughts,like a bit of verse. Oh many, and many, and many a time!

We saw out all the drink that was produced, like good men and true,and then took our leaves, and went down to the beach. The weatherwas beautiful; the wind steady, low, and gentle; the island, apicture; the sea, a picture; the sky, a picture. In that countrythere are two rainy seasons in the year. One sets in at about ourEnglish Midsummer; the other, about a fortnight after our EnglishMichaelmas. It was the beginning of August at that time; the firstof these rainy seasons was well over; and everything was in its mostbeautiful growth, and had its loveliest look upon it.

We had come down to the beach, to be friendly with the boat's-crewwho were camped and hutted there; and we were approaching towardstheir quarters over the sand, when Christian George King comes upfrom the landing-place at a wolf's-trot, crying, "Yup, So-Jeer!"--which was that Sambo Pilot's barbarous way of saying, Hallo,Soldier! I have stated myself to be a man of no learning, and, if Ientertain prejudices, I hope allowance may be made. I will nowconfess to one. It may be a right one or it may be a wrong one;but, I never did like Natives, except in the form of oysters.

So, when Christian George King, who was individually unpleasant tome besides, comes a trotting along the sand, clucking, "Yup, So-Jeer!" I had a thundering good mind to let fly at him with myright. I certainly should have done it, but that it would haveexposed me to reprimand.

"Yup, So-Jeer!" says he. "Bad job."

"What do you mean?" says I.

"Yup, So-Jeer!" says he, "Ship Leakee."

"Ship leaky?" says I.

"Iss," says he, with a nod that looked as if it was jerked out ofhim by a most violent hiccup--which is the way with those savages.

I cast my eyes at Charker, and we both heard the pumps going aboardthe sloop, and saw the signal run up, "Come on board; hands wantedfrom the shore." In no time some of the sloop's liberty-men werealready running down to the water's edge, and the party of seamen,under orders against the Pirates, were putting off to the Columbusin two boats.

"O Christian George King sar berry sorry!" says that Sambo vagabond,then. "Christian George King cry, English fashion!" His Englishfashion of crying was to screw his black knuckles into his eyes,howl like a dog, and roll himself on his back on the sand. It wastrying not to kick him, but I gave Charker the word, "Double-quick,Harry!" and we got down to the water's edge, and got on board thesloop.

By some means or other, she had sprung such a leak, that no pumpingwould keep her free; and what between the two fears that she wouldgo down in the harbour, and that, even if she did not, all thesupplies she had brought for the little colony would be destroyed bythe sea-water as it rose in her, there was great confusion. In themidst of it, Captain Maryon was heard hailing from the beach. Hehad been carried down in his hammock, and looked very bad; but heinsisted on being stood there on his feet; and I saw him, myself,come off in the boat, sitting upright in the stern-sheets, as ifnothing was wrong with him.

A quick sort of council was held, and Captain Maryon soon resolvedthat we must all fall to work to get the cargo out, and that whenthat was done, the guns and heavy matters must be got out, and thatthe sloop must be hauled ashore, and careened, and the leak stopped.We were all mustered (the Pirate-Chace party volunteering), and toldoff into parties, with so many hours of spell and so many hours ofrelief, and we all went at it with a will. Christian George Kingwas entered one of the party in which I worked, at his own request,and he went at it with as good a will as any of the rest. He wentat it with so much heartiness, to say the truth, that he rose in mygood opinion almost as fast as the water rose in the ship. Whichwas fast enough, and faster.

Mr. Commissioner Pordage kept in a red-and-black japanned box, likea family lump-sugar box, some document or other, which some Sambochief or other had got drunk and spilt some ink over (as well as Icould understand the matter), and by that means had given up lawfulpossession of the Island. Through having hold of this box, Mr.Pordage got his title of Commissioner. He was styled Consul too,and spoke of himself as "Government."

He was a stiff-jointed, high-nosed old gentleman, without an ounceof fat on him, of a very angry temper and a very yellow complexion.Mrs. Commissioner Pordage, making allowance for difference of sex,was much the same. Mr. Kitten, a small, youngish, bald, botanicaland mineralogical gentleman, also connected with the mine--buteverybody there was that, more or less--was sometimes called by Mr.Commissioner Pordage, his Vice-commissioner, and sometimes hisDeputy-consul. Or sometimes he spoke of Mr. Kitten, merely as being"under Government."

The beach was beginning to be a lively scene with the preparationsfor careening the sloop, and with cargo, and spars, and rigging, andwater-casks, dotted about it, and with temporary quarters for themen rising up there out of such sails and odds and ends as could bebest set on one side to make them, when Mr. Commissioner Pordagecomes down in a high fluster, and asks for Captain Maryon. TheCaptain, ill as he was, was slung in his hammock betwixt two trees,that he might direct; and he raised his head, and answered forhimself.

"Captain Maryon," cries Mr. Commissioner Pordage, "this is notofficial. This is not regular."

"Sir," says the Captain, "it hath been arranged with the clerk andsupercargo, that you should be communicated with, and requested torender any little assistance that may lie in your power. I am quitecertain that hath been duly done."

"Captain Maryon," replied Mr. Commissioner Pordage, "there hath beenno written correspondence. No documents have passed, no memorandahave been made, no minutes have been made, no entries and counter-entries appear in the official muniments. This is indecent. I callupon you, sir, to desist, until all is regular, or Government willtake this up."

"Sir," says Captain Maryon, chafing a little, as he looked out ofhis hammock; "between the chances of Government taking this up, andmy ship taking herself down, I much prefer to trust myself to theformer."

He was dressed in a linen suit at that moment; but, Mr. Kittenstarted off himself and brought down the Diplomatic coat, which wasa blue cloth one, gold-laced, and with a crown on the button.

"Now, Mr. Kitten," says Pordage, "I instruct you, as Vice-commissioner, and Deputy-consul of this place, to demand of CaptainMaryon, of the sloop Christopher Columbus, whether he drives me tothe act of putting this coat on?"

"Mr. Pordage," says Captain Maryon, looking out of his hammockagain, "as I can hear what you say, I can answer it withouttroubling the gentleman. I should be sorry that you should be atthe pains of putting on too hot a coat on my account; but,otherwise, you may put it on hind-side before, or inside-out, orwith your legs in the sleeves, or your head in the skirts, for anyobjection that I have to offer to your thoroughly pleasingyourself."

"Very good, Captain Maryon," says Pordage, in a tremendous passion."Very good, sir. Be the consequences on your own head! Mr. Kitten,as it has come to this, help me on with it."

When he had given that order, he walked off in the coat, and all ournames were taken, and I was afterwards told that Mr. Kitten wrotefrom his dictation more than a bushel of large paper on the subject,which cost more before it was done with, than ever could becalculated, and which only got done with after all, by being lost.

Our work went on merrily, nevertheless, and the ChristopherColumbus, hauled up, lay helpless on her side like a great fish outof water. While she was in that state, there was a feast, or aball, or an entertainment, or more properly all three together,given us in honour of the ship, and the ship's company, and theother visitors. At that assembly, I believe, I saw all theinhabitants then upon the Island, without any exception. I took noparticular notice of more than a few, but I found it very agreeablein that little corner of the world to see the children, who were ofall ages, and mostly very pretty--as they mostly are. There was onehandsome elderly lady, with very dark eyes and gray hair, that Iinquired about. I was told that her name was Mrs. Venning; and hermarried daughter, a fair slight thing, was pointed out to me by thename of Fanny Fisher. Quite a child she looked, with a little copyof herself holding to her dress; and her husband, just come backfrom the mine, exceeding proud of her. They were a good-looking setof people on the whole, but I didn't like them. I was out of sorts;in conversation with Charker, I found fault with all of them. Isaid of Mrs. Venning, she was proud; of Mrs. Fisher, she was adelicate little baby-fool. What did I think of this one? Why, hewas a fine gentleman. What did I say to that one? Why, she was afine lady. What could you expect them to be (I asked Charker),nursed in that climate, with the tropical night shining for them,musical instruments playing to them, great trees bending over them,soft lamps lighting them, fire-flies sparkling in among them, brightflowers and birds brought into existence to please their eyes,delicious drinks to be had for the pouring out, delicious fruits tobe got for the picking, and every one dancing and murmuring happilyin the scented air, with the sea breaking low on the reef for apleasant chorus.

"Fine gentlemen and fine ladies, Harry?" I says to Charker. "Yes, Ithink so! Dolls! Dolls! Not the sort of stuff for wear, thatcomes of poor private soldiering in the Royal Marines!"

However, I could not gainsay that they were very hospitable people,and that they treated us uncommonly well. Every man of us was atthe entertainment, and Mrs. Belltott had more partners than shecould dance with: though she danced all night, too. As to Jack(whether of the Christopher Columbus, or of the Pirate pursuitparty, it made no difference), he danced with his brother Jack,danced with himself, danced with the moon, the stars, the trees, theprospect, anything. I didn't greatly take to the chief-officer ofthat party, with his bright eyes, brown face, and easy figure. Ididn't much like his way when he first happened to come where wewere, with Miss Maryon on his arm. "O, Captain Carton," she says,"here are two friends of mine!" He says, "Indeed? These twoMarines?"--meaning Charker and self. "Yes," says she, "I showedthese two friends of mine when they first came, all the wonders ofSilver-Store." He gave us a laughing look, and says he, "You are inluck, men. I would be disrated and go before the mast to-morrow, tobe shown the way upward again by such a guide. You are in luck,men." When we had saluted, and he and the lady had waltzed away, Isaid, "You are a pretty follow, too, to talk of luck. You may go tothe Devil!"

Mr. Commissioner Pordage and Mrs. Commissioner, showed among thecompany on that occasion like the King and Queen of a much GreaterBritain than Great Britain. Only two other circumstances in thatjovial night made much separate impression on me. One was this. Aman in our draft of marines, named Tom Packer, a wild unsteady youngfellow, but the son of a respectable shipwright in Portsmouth Yard,and a good scholar who had been well brought up, comes to me after aspell of dancing, and takes me aside by the elbow, and says,swearing angrily:

"Gill Davis, I hope I may not be the death of Sergeant Drooce oneday!"

Now, I knew Drooce had always borne particularly hard on this man,and I knew this man to be of a very hot temper: so, I said:

"Tut, nonsense! don't talk so to me! If there's a man in the corpswho scorns the name of an assassin, that man and Tom Packer areone."

Tom wipes his head, being in a mortal sweat, and says he:

"I hope so, but I can't answer for myself when he lords it over me,as he has just now done, before a woman. I tell you what, Gill!Mark my words! It will go hard with Sergeant Drooce, if ever we arein an engagement together, and he has to look to me to save him.Let him say a prayer then, if he knows one, for it's all over withhim, and he is on his Death-bed. Mark my words!"

I did mark his words, and very soon afterwards, too, as will shortlybe taken down.

The other circumstance that I noticed at that ball, was, the gaietyand attachment of Christian George King. The innocent spirits thatSambo Pilot was in, and the impossibility he found himself under ofshowing all the little colony, but especially the ladies andchildren, how fond he was of them, how devoted to them, and howfaithful to them for life and death, for present, future, andeverlasting, made a great impression on me. If ever a man, Sambo orno Sambo, was trustful and trusted, to what may be called quite aninfantine and sweetly beautiful extent, surely, I thought thatmorning when I did at last lie down to rest, it was that SamboPilot, Christian George King.

This may account for my dreaming of him. He stuck in my sleep,cornerwise, and I couldn't get him out. He was always flittingabout me, dancing round me, and peeping in over my hammock, though Iwoke and dozed off again fifty times. At last, when I opened myeyes, there he really was, looking in at the open side of the littledark hut; which was made of leaves, and had Charker's hammock slungin it as well as mine.

"So-Jeer!" says he, in a sort of a low croak. "Yup!"

"Hallo!" says I, starting up. "What? You are there, are you?"

"Iss," says he. "Christian George King got news."

"What news has he got?"

"Pirates out!"

I was on my feet in a second. So was Charker. We were both awarethat Captain Carton, in command of the boats, constantly watched themainland for a secret signal, though, of course, it was not known tosuch as us what the signal was.

Christian George King had vanished before we touched the ground.But, the word was already passing from hut to hut to turn outquietly, and we knew that the nimble barbarian had got hold of thetruth, or something near it.

In a space among the trees behind the encampment of us visitors,naval and military, was a snugly-screened spot, where we kept thestores that were in use, and did our cookery. The word was passedto assemble here. It was very quickly given, and was given (so faras we were concerned) by Sergeant Drooce, who was as good in asoldier point of view, as he was bad in a tyrannical one. We wereordered to drop into this space, quietly, behind the trees, one byone. As we assembled here, the seamen assembled too. Within tenminutes, as I should estimate, we were all here, except the usualguard upon the beach. The beach (we could see it through the wood)looked as it always had done in the hottest time of the day. Theguard were in the shadow of the sloop's hull, and nothing was movingbut the sea,--and that moved very faintly. Work had always beenknocked off at that hour, until the sun grew less fierce, and thesea-breeze rose; so that its being holiday with us, made nodifference, just then, in the look of the place. But I may mentionthat it was a holiday, and the first we had had since our hard workbegan. Last night's ball had been given, on the leak's beingrepaired, and the careening done. The worst of the work was over,and to-morrow we were to begin to get the sloop afloat again.

We marines were now drawn up here under arms. The chace-party weredrawn up separate. The men of the Columbus were drawn up separate.The officers stepped out into the midst of the three parties, andspoke so as all might hear. Captain Carton was the officer incommand, and he had a spy-glass in his hand. His coxswain stood byhim with another spy-glass, and with a slate on which he seemed tohave been taking down signals.

"Now, men!" says Captain Carton; "I have to let you know, for yoursatisfaction: Firstly, that there are ten pirate-boats, stronglymanned and armed, lying hidden up a creek yonder on the coast, underthe overhanging branches of the dense trees. Secondly, that theywill certainly come out this night when the moon rises, on apillaging and murdering expedition, of which some part of themainland is the object. Thirdly--don't cheer, men!--that we willgive chace, and, if we can get at them, rid the world of them,please God!"

Nobody spoke, that I heard, and nobody moved, that I saw. Yet therewas a kind of ring, as if every man answered and approved with thebest blood that was inside of him.

"Sir," says Captain Maryon, "I beg to volunteer on this service,with my boats. My people volunteer, to the ship's boys."

I was ashamed--I give it out to be written down as large and plainas possible--I was heart and soul ashamed of my thoughts of thosetwo sick officers, Captain Maryon and Lieutenant Linderwood, when Isaw them, then and there. The spirit in those two gentlemen beatdown their illness (and very ill I knew them to be) like SaintGeorge beating down the Dragon. Pain and weakness, want of ease andwant of rest, had no more place in their minds than fear itself.Meaning now to express for my lady to write down, exactly what Ifelt then and there, I felt this: "You two brave fellows that I hadbeen so grudgeful of, I know that if you were dying you would put itoff to get up and do your best, and then you would be so modest thatin lying down again to die, you would hardly say, 'I did it!'"

It did me good. It really did me good.

But, to go back to where I broke off. Says Captain Carton toLieutenant Linderwood, "Sir, how will you divide your men? There isnot room for all; and a few men should, in any case, be left here."

There was some debate about it. At last, it was resolved to leaveeight Marines and four seamen on the Island, besides the sloop's twoboys. And because it was considered that the friendly Sambos wouldonly want to be commanded in case of any danger (though none at allwas apprehended there), the officers were in favour of leaving thetwo non-commissioned officers, Drooce and Charker. It was a heavydisappointment to them, just as my being one of the left was a heavydisappointment to me--then, but not soon afterwards. We men drewlots for it, and I drew "Island." So did Tom Packer. So of course,did four more of our rank and file.

When this was settled, verbal instructions were given to all handsto keep the intended expedition secret, in order that the women andchildren might not be alarmed, or the expedition put in a difficultyby more volunteers. The assembly was to be on that same spot atsunset. Every man was to keep up an appearance, meanwhile, ofoccupying himself in his usual way. That is to say, every manexcepting four old trusty seamen, who were appointed, with anofficer, to see to the arms and ammunition, and to muffle therullocks of the boats, and to make everything as trim and swift andsilent as it could be made.

The Sambo Pilot had been present all the while, in case of his beingwanted, and had said to the officer in command, five hundred timesover if he had said it once, that Christian George King would staywith the So-Jeers, and take care of the booffer ladies and thebooffer childs--booffer being that native's expression forbeautiful. He was now asked a few questions concerning the puttingoff of the boats, and in particular whether there was any way ofembarking at the back of the Island: which Captain Carton wouldhave half liked to do, and then have dropped round in its shadow andslanted across to the main. But, "No," says Christian George King."No, no, no! Told you so, ten time. No, no, no! All reef, allrock, all swim, all drown!" Striking out as he said it, like aswimmer gone mad, and turning over on his back on dry land, andspluttering himself to death, in a manner that made him quite anexhibition.

The sun went down, after appearing to be a long time about it, andthe assembly was called. Every man answered to his name, of course,and was at his post. It was not yet black dark, and the roll wasonly just gone through, when up comes Mr. Commissioner Pordage withhis Diplomatic coat on.

"Captain Carton," says he, "Sir, what is this?"

"This, Mr. Commissioner" (he was very short with him), "is anexpedition against the Pirates. It is a secret expedition, soplease to keep it a secret."

"Sir," says Captain Carton, "I am an English officer, commandingEnglish Men, and I hope I am not likely to disappoint theGovernment's just expectations. But, I presume you know that thesevillains under their black flag have despoiled our countrymen oftheir property, burnt their homes, barbarously murdered them andtheir little children, and worse than murdered their wives anddaughters?"

"Perhaps I do, Captain Carton," answers Pordage, waving his hand,with dignity; "perhaps I do not. It is not customary, sir, forGovernment to commit itself."

"It matters very little, Mr. Pordage, whether or no. Believing thatI hold my commission by the allowance of God, and not that I havereceived it direct from the Devil, I shall certainly use it, withall avoidance of unnecessary suffering and with all mercifulswiftness of execution, to exterminate these people from the face ofthe earth. Let me recommend you to go home, sir, and to keep out ofthe night-air."

Never another syllable did that officer say to the Commissioner, butturned away to his men. The Commissioner buttoned his Diplomaticcoat to the chin, said, "Mr. Kitten, attend me!" gasped, half chokedhimself, and took himself off.

It now fell very dark, indeed. I have seldom, if ever, seen itdarker, nor yet so dark. The moon was not due until one in themorning, and it was but a little after nine when our men lay downwhere they were mustered. It was pretended that they were to take anap, but everybody knew that no nap was to be got under thecircumstances. Though all were very quiet, there was a restlessnessamong the people; much what I have seen among the people on a race-course, when the bell has rung for the saddling for a great racewith large stakes on it.

At ten, they put off; only one boat putting off at a time; anotherfollowing in five minutes; both then lying on their oars untilanother followed. Ahead of all, paddling his own outlandish littlecanoe without a sound, went the Sambo pilot, to take them safelyoutside the reef. No light was shown but once, and that was in thecommanding officer's own hand. I lighted the dark lantern for him,and he took it from me when he embarked. They had blue lights andsuch like with them, but kept themselves as dark as Murder.

The expedition got away with wonderful quietness, and ChristianGeorge King soon came back dancing with joy.

"Yup, So-Jeer," says he to myself in a very objectionable kind ofconvulsions, "Christian George King sar berry glad. Pirates all beblown a-pieces. Yup! Yup!"

My reply to that cannibal was, "However glad you may be, hold yournoise, and don't dance jigs and slap your knees about it, for Ican't abear to see you do it."

I was on duty then; we twelve who were left being divided into fourwatches of three each, three hours' spell. I was relieved attwelve. A little before that time, I had challenged, and MissMaryon and Mrs. Belltott had come in.

"Good Davis," says Miss Maryon, "what is the matter? Where is mybrother?"

I told her what was the matter, and where her brother was.

"O Heaven help him!" says she, clasping her hands and looking up--she was close in front of me, and she looked most lovely to be sure;he is not sufficiently recovered, not strong enough for suchstrife!"

"If you had seen him, miss," I told her, "as I saw him when hevolunteered, you would have known that his spirit is strong enoughfor any strife. It will bear his body, miss, to wherever duty callshim. It will always bear him to an honourable life, or a bravedeath."

Mrs. Belltott surprised me by trembling and saying nothing. Theywere still standing looking towards the sea and listening, after therelief had come round. It continuing very dark, I asked to beallowed to take them back. Miss Maryon thanked me, and she put herarm in mine, and I did take them back. I have now got to make aconfession that will appear singular. After I had left them, I laidmyself down on my face on the beach, and cried for the first timesince I had frightened birds as a boy at Snorridge Bottom, to thinkwhat a poor, ignorant, low-placed, private soldier I was.

It was only for half a minute or so. A man can't at all times bequite master of himself, and it was only for half a minute or so.Then I up and went to my hut, and turned into my hammock, and fellasleep with wet eyelashes, and a sore, sore heart. Just as I hadoften done when I was a child, and had been worse used than usual.

I slept (as a child under those circumstances might) very sound, andyet very sore at heart all through my sleep. I was awoke by thewords, "He is a determined man." I had sprung out of my hammock,and had seized my firelock, and was standing on the ground, sayingthe words myself. "He is a determined man." But, the curiosity ofmy state was, that I seemed to be repeating them after somebody, andto have been wonderfully startled by hearing them.

As soon as I came to myself, I went out of the hut, and away towhere the guard was. Charker challenged:

"Who goes there?"

"A friend."

"Not Gill?" says he, as he shouldered his piece.

"Gill," says I.

"Why, what the deuce do you do out of your hammock?" says he.

"Too hot for sleep," says I; "is all right?"

"Right!" says Charker, "yes, yes; all's right enough here; whatshould be wrong here? It's the boats that we want to know of.Except for fire-flies twinkling about, and the lonesome splashes ofgreat creatures as they drop into the water, there's nothing goingon here to ease a man's mind from the boats."

The moon was above the sea, and had risen, I should say, some half-an-hour. As Charker spoke, with his face towards the sea, I,looking landward, suddenly laid my right hand on his breast, andsaid, "Don't move. Don't turn. Don't raise your voice! You neversaw a Maltese face here?"

"No. What do you mean?" he asks, staring at me.

"Nor yet, an English face, with one eye and a patch across thenose?"

"No. What ails you? What do you mean?"

I had seen both, looking at us round the stem of a cocoa-nut tree,where the moon struck them. I had seen that Sambo Pilot, with onehand laid on the stem of the tree, drawing them back into the heavyshadow. I had seen their naked cutlasses twinkle and shine, likebits of the moonshine in the water that had got blown ashore amongthe trees by the light wind. I had seen it all, in a moment. And Isaw in a moment (as any man would), that the signalled move of thepirates on the mainland was a plot and a feint; that the leak hadbeen made to disable the sloop; that the boats had been temptedaway, to leave the Island unprotected; that the pirates had landedby some secreted way at the back; and that Christian George King wasa double-dyed traitor, and a most infernal villain.

I considered, still all in one and the same moment, that Charker wasa brave man, but not quick with his head; and that Sergeant Drooce,with a much better head, was close by. All I said to Charker was,"I am afraid we are betrayed. Turn your back full to the moonlighton the sea, and cover the stem of the cocoa-nut tree which will thenbe right before you, at the height of a man's heart. Are youright?"

"I am right," says Charker, turning instantly, and falling into theposition with a nerve of iron; "and right ain't left. Is it, Gill?"

A few seconds brought me to Sergeant Drooce's hut. He was fastasleep, and being a heavy sleeper, I had to lay my hand upon him torouse him. The instant I touched him he came rolling out of hishammock, and upon me like a tiger. And a tiger he was, except thathe knew what he was up to, in his utmost heat, as well as any man.

I had to struggle with him pretty hard to bring him to his senses,panting all the while (for he gave me a breather), "Sergeant, I amGill Davis! Treachery! Pirates on the Island!"

The last words brought him round, and he took his hands of. "I haveseen two of them within this minute," said I. And so I told himwhat I had told Harry Charker.

His soldierly, though tyrannical, head was clear in an instant. Hedidn't waste one word, even of surprise. "Order the guard," sayshe, "to draw off quietly into the Fort." (They called the enclosureI have before mentioned, the Fort, though it was not much of that.)"Then get you to the Fort as quick as you can, rouse up every soulthere, and fasten the gate. I will bring in all those who are atthe Signal Hill. If we are surrounded before we can join you, youmust make a sally and cut us out if you can. The word among our menis, 'Women and children!'"

He burst away, like fire going before the wind over dry reeds. Heroused up the seven men who were off duty, and had them burstingaway with him, before they know they were not asleep. I reportedorders to Charker, and ran to the Fort, as I have never run at anyother time in all my life: no, not even in a dream.

The gate was not fast, and had no good fastening: only a doublewooden bar, a poor chain, and a bad lock. Those, I secured as wellas they could be secured in a few seconds by one pair of hands, andso ran to that part of the building where Miss Maryon lived. Icalled to her loudly by her name until she answered. I then calledloudly all the names I knew--Mrs. Macey (Miss Maryon's marriedsister), Mr. Macey, Mrs. Venning, Mr. and Mrs. Fisher, even Mr. andMrs. Pordage. Then I called out, "All you gentlemen here, get upand defend the place! We are caught in a trap. Pirates havelanded. We are attacked!"

At the terrible word "Pirates!"--for, those villains had done suchdeeds in those seas as never can be told in writing, and canscarcely be so much as thought of--cries and screams rose up fromevery part of the place. Quickly lights moved about from window towindow, and the cries moved about with them, and men, women, andchildren came flying down into the square. I remarked to myself,even then, what a number of things I seemed to see at once. Inoticed Mrs. Macey coming towards me, carrying all her threechildren together. I noticed Mr. Pordage in the greatest terror, invain trying to get on his Diplomatic coat; and Mr. Kittenrespectfully tying his pocket-handkerchief over Mrs. Pordage'snightcap. I noticed Mrs. Belltott run out screaming, and shrinkupon the ground near me, and cover her face in her hands, and lieall of a bundle, shivering. But, what I noticed with the greatestpleasure was, the determined eyes with which those men of the Minethat I had thought fine gentlemen, came round me with what arms theyhad: to the full as cool and resolute as I could be, for my life--ay, and for my soul, too, into the bargain!

The chief person being Mr. Macey, I told him how the three men ofthe guard would be at the gate directly, if they were not alreadythere, and how Sergeant Drooce and the other seven were gone tobring in the outlying part of the people of Silver-Store. I nexturged him, for the love of all who were dear to him, to trust noSambo, and, above all, if he could got any good chance at ChristianGeorge King, not to lose it, but to put him out of the world.

My answer was, "I think, sir, I would recommend you next, to orderdown such heavy furniture and lumber as can be moved, and make abarricade within the gate."

"That's good again," says he: "will you see it done?"

"I'll willingly help to do it," says I, "unless or until mysuperior, Sergeant Drooce, gives me other orders."

He shook me by the hand, and having told off some of his companionsto help me, bestirred himself to look to the arms and ammunition. Aproper quick, brave, steady, ready gentleman!

One of their three little children was deaf and dumb, Miss Maryonhad been from the first with all the children, soothing them, anddressing them (poor little things, they had been brought out oftheir beds), and making them believe that it was a game of play, sothat some of them were now even laughing. I had been working hardwith the others at the barricade, and had got up a pretty goodbreast-work within the gate. Drooce and the seven men had comeback, bringing in the people from the Signal Hill, and had workedalong with us: but, I had not so much as spoken a word to Drooce,nor had Drooce so much as spoken a word to me, for we were both toobusy. The breastwork was now finished, and I found Miss Maryon atmy side, with a child in her arms. Her dark hair was fastened roundher head with a band. She had a quantity of it, and it looked evenricher and more precious, put up hastily out of her way, than I hadseen it look when it was carefully arranged. She was very pale, butextraordinarily quiet and still.

"Dear good Davis," said she, "I have been waiting to speak one wordto you."

I turned to her directly. If I had received a musket-ball in theheart, and she had stood there, I almost believe I should haveturned to her before I dropped.

"This pretty little creature," said she, kissing the child in herarms, who was playing with her hair and trying to pull it down,"cannot hear what we say--can hear nothing. I trust you so much,and have such great confidence in you, that I want you to make me apromise."

"What is it, Miss?"

"That if we are defeated, and you are absolutely sure of my beingtaken, you will kill me."

"I shall not be alive to do it, Miss. I shall have died in yourdefence before it comes to that. They must step across my body tolay a hand on you."

"But, if you are alive, you brave soldier." How she looked at me!"And if you cannot save me from the Pirates, living, you will saveme, dead. Tell me so."

Well! I told her I would do that at the last, if all else failed.She took my hand--my rough, coarse hand--and put it to her lips.She put it to the child's lips, and the child kissed it. I believeI had the strength of half a dozen men in me, from that moment,until the fight was over.

All this time, Mr. Commissioner Pordage had been wanting to make aProclamation to the Pirates to lay down their arms and go away; andeverybody had been hustling him about and tumbling over him, whilehe was calling for pen and ink to write it with. Mrs. Pordage, too,had some curious ideas about the British respectability of hernightcap (which had as many frills to it, growing in layers oneinside another, as if it was a white vegetable of the artichokesort), and she wouldn't take the nightcap off, and would be angrywhen it got crushed by the other ladies who were handing thingsabout, and, in short, she gave as much trouble as her husband did.But, as we were now forming for the defence of the place, they wereboth poked out of the way with no ceremony. The children and ladieswere got into the little trench which surrounded the silver-house(we were afraid of leaving them in any of the light buildings, lestthey should be set on fire), and we made the best disposition wecould. There was a pretty good store, in point of amount, oftolerable swords and cutlasses. Those were issued. There were,also, perhaps a score or so of spare muskets. Those were broughtout. To my astonishment, little Mrs. Fisher that I had taken for adoll and a baby, was not only very active in that service, butvolunteered to load the spare arms.

"For, I understand it well," says she, cheerfully, without a shakein her voice.

"I am a soldier's daughter and a sailor's sister, and I understandit too," says Miss Maryon, just in the same way.

Steady and busy behind where I stood, those two beautiful anddelicate young women fell to handling the guns, hammering theflints, looking to the locks, and quietly directing others to passup powder and bullets from hand to hand, as unflinching as the bestof tried soldiers.

Sergeant Drooce had brought in word that the pirates were verystrong in numbers--over a hundred was his estimate--and that theywere not, even then, all landed; for, he had seen them in a verygood position on the further side of the Signal Hill, evidentlywaiting for the rest of their men to come up. In the present pause,the first we had had since the alarm, he was telling this over againto Mr. Macey, when Mr. Macey suddenly cried our: "The signal!Nobody has thought of the signal!"

"There is a pile of wood upon the Signal Hill. If it could belighted--which never has been done yet--it would be a signal ofdistress to the mainland."

Charker cries, directly: "Sergeant Drooce, dispatch me on thatduty. Give me the two men who were on guard with me to-night, andI'll light the fire, if it can be done."

"And if it can't, Corporal--" Mr. Macey strikes in.

"Look at these ladies and children, sir!" says Charker. "I'd soonerlight myself, than not try any chance to save them."

We gave him a Hurrah!--it burst from us, come of it what might--andhe got his two men, and was let out at the gate, and crept away. Ihad no sooner come back to my place from being one of the party tohandle the gate, than Miss Maryon said in a low voice behind me:

"Davis, will you look at this powder? This is not right."

I turned my head. Christian George King again, and treachery again!Sea-water had been conveyed into the magazine, and every grain ofpowder was spoiled!

"Stay a moment," said Sergeant Drooce, when I had told him, withoutcausing a movement in a muscle of his face: "look to your pouch, mylad. You Tom Packer, look to your pouch, confound you! Look toyour pouches, all you Marines."

The same artful savage had got at them, somehow or another, and thecartridges were all unserviceable. "Hum!" says the Sergeant. "Lookto your loading, men. You are right so far?"

Yes; we were right so far.

"Well, my lads, and gentlemen all," says the Sergeant, "this will bea hand-to-hand affair, and so much the better."

He treated himself to a pinch of snuff, and stood up, square-shouldered and broad-chested, in the light of the moon--which wasnow very bright--as cool as if he was waiting for a play to begin.He stood quiet, and we all stood quiet, for a matter of somethinglike half-an-hour. I took notice from such whispered talk as therewas, how little we that the silver did not belong to, thought aboutit, and how much the people that it did belong to, thought about it.At the end of the half-hour, it was reported from the gate thatCharker and the two were falling back on us, pursued by about adozen.

We were not long about it, and we brought them in. "Don't take me,"says Charker, holding me round the neck, and stumbling down at myfeet when the gate was fast, "don't take me near the ladies or thechildren, Gill. They had better not see Death, till it can't behelped. They'll see it soon enough."

"Harry!" I answered, holding up his head. "Comrade!"

He was cut to pieces. The signal had been secured by the firstpirate party that landed; his hair was all singed off, and his facewas blackened with the running pitch from a torch.

He made no complaint of pain, or of anything. "Good-bye, old chap,"was all he said, with a smile. "I've got my death. And Death ain'tlife. Is it, Gill?"

Having helped to lay his poor body on one side, I went back to mypost. Sergeant Drooce looked at me, with his eyebrows a littlelifted. I nodded. "Close up here men, and gentlemen all!" said theSergeant. "A place too many, in the line."

The Pirates were so close upon us at this time, that the foremost ofthem were already before the gate. More and more came up with agreat noise, and shouting loudly. When we believed from the soundthat they were all there, we gave three English cheers. The poorlittle children joined, and were so fully convinced of our being atplay, that they enjoyed the noise, and were heard clapping theirhands in the silence that followed.

Our disposition was this, beginning with the rear. Mrs. Venning,holding her daughter's child in her arms, sat on the steps of thelittle square trench surrounding the silver-house, encouraging anddirecting those women and children as she might have done in thehappiest and easiest time of her life. Then, there was an armedline, under Mr. Macey, across the width of the enclosure, facingthat way and having their backs towards the gate, in order that theymight watch the walls and prevent our being taken by surprise. Thenthere was a space of eight or ten feet deep, in which the spare armswere, and in which Miss Maryon and Mrs. Fisher, their hands anddresses blackened with the spoilt gunpowder, worked on their knees,tying such things as knives, old bayonets, and spear-heads, to themuzzles of the useless muskets. Then, there was a second armedline, under Sergeant Drooce, also across the width of the enclosure,but facing to the gate. Then came the breastwork we had made, witha zigzag way through it for me and my little party to hold good inretreating, as long as we could, when we were driven from the gate.We all knew that it was impossible to hold the place long, and thatour only hope was in the timely discovery of the plot by the boats,and in their coming back.

I and my men were now thrown forward to the gate. From a spy-hole,I could see the whole crowd of Pirates. There were Malays amongthem, Dutch, Maltese, Greeks, Sambos, Negroes, and ConvictEnglishmen from the West India Islands; among the last, him with theone eye and the patch across the nose. There were some Portuguese,too, and a few Spaniards. The captain was a Portuguese; a littleman with very large ear-rings under a very broad hat, and a greatbright shawl twisted about his shoulders. They were all stronglyarmed, but like a boarding party, with pikes, swords, cutlasses, andaxes. I noticed a good many pistols, but not a gun of any kindamong them. This gave me to understand that they had consideredthat a continued roll of musketry might perhaps have been heard onthe mainland; also, that for the reason that fire would be seen fromthe mainland they would not set the Fort in flames and roast usalive; which was one of their favourite ways of carrying on. Ilooked about for Christian George King, and if I had seen him I ammuch mistaken if he would not have received my one round of ball-cartridge in his head. But, no Christian George King was visible.

A sort of a wild Portuguese demon, who seemed either fierce-mad orfierce-drunk--but, they all seemed one or the other--came forwardwith the black flag, and gave it a wave or two. After that, thePortuguese captain called out in shrill English, "I say you!English fools! Open the gate! Surrender!"

As we kept close and quiet, he said something to his men which Ididn't understand, and when he had said it, the one-eyed Englishrascal with the patch (who had stepped out when he began), said itagain in English. It was only this. "Boys of the black flag, thisis to be quickly done. Take all the prisoners you can. If theydon't yield, kill the children to make them. Forward!" Then, theyall came on at the gate, and in another half-minute were smashingand splitting it in.

We struck at them through the gaps and shivers, and we dropped manyof them, too; but, their very weight would have carried such a gate,if they had been unarmed. I soon found Sergeant Drooce at my side,forming us six remaining marines in line--Tom Packer next to me--andordering us to fall back three paces, and, as they broke in, to givethem our one little volley at short distance. "Then," says he,"receive them behind your breastwork on the bayonet, and at leastlet every man of you pin one of the cursed cockchafers through thebody."

We checked them by our fire, slight as it was, and we checked themat the breastwork. However, they broke over it like swarms ofdevils--they were, really and truly, more devils than men--and thenit was hand to hand, indeed.

We clubbed our muskets and laid about us; even then, those twoladies--always behind me--were steady and ready with the arms. Ihad a lot of Maltese and Malays upon me, and, but for a broadswordthat Miss Maryon's own hand put in mine, should have got my end fromthem. But, was that all? No. I saw a heap of banded dark hair anda white dress come thrice between me and them, under my own raisedright arm, which each time might have destroyed the wearer of thewhite dress; and each time one of the lot went down, struck dead.

Drooce was armed with a broadsword, too, and did such things withit, that there was a cry, in half-a-dozen languages, of "Kill thatsergeant!" as I knew, by the cry being raised in English, and takenup in other tongues. I had received a severe cut across the leftarm a few moments before, and should have known nothing of it,except supposing that somebody had struck me a smart blow, if I hadnot felt weak, and seen myself covered with spouting blood, and, atthe same instant of time, seen Miss Maryon tearing her dress andbinding it with Mrs. Fisher's help round the wound. They called toTom Packer, who was scouring by, to stop and guard me for oneminute, while I was bound, or I should bleed to death in trying todefend myself. Tom stopped directly, with a good sabre in his hand.

In that same moment--all things seem to happen in that same moment,at such a time--half-a-dozen had rushed howling at Sergeant Drooce.The Sergeant, stepping back against the wall, stopped one howl forever with such a terrible blow, and waited for the rest to come on,with such a wonderfully unmoved face, that they stopped and lookedat him.

"See him now!" cried Tom Packer. "Now, when I could cut him out!Gill! Did I tell you to mark my words?"

I implored Tom Packer in the Lord's name, as well as I could in myfaintness, to go to the Sergeant's aid.

The Sergeant, without turning his eyes from his assailants, whichwould have been instant death to him, answers.

"No. I won't."

"Sergeant Drooce!" cries Tom, in a kind of an agony. "I have passedmy word that I would never save you from Death, if I could, butwould leave you to die. Tell me you have driven me too hard and aresorry for it, and that shall go for nothing."

One of the group laid the Sergeant's bald bare head open. TheSergeant laid him dead.

"I tell you," says the Sergeant, breathing a little short, andwaiting for the next attack, "no. I won't. If you are not manenough to strike for a fellow-soldier because he wants help, andbecause of nothing else, I'll go into the other world and look for abetter man."

Tom swept upon them, and cut him out. Tom and he fought their waythrough another knot of them, and sent them flying, and came over towhere I was beginning again to feel, with inexpressible joy, that Ihad got a sword in my hand.

They had hardly come to us, when I heard, above all the othernoises, a tremendous cry of women's voices. I also saw Miss Maryon,with quite a new face, suddenly clap her two hands over Mrs.Fisher's eyes. I looked towards the silver-house, and saw Mrs.Venning--standing upright on the top of the steps of the trench,with her gray hair and her dark eyes--hide her daughter's childbehind her, among the folds of her dress, strike a pirate with herother hand, and fall, shot by his pistol.

The cry arose again, and there was a terrible and confusing rush ofthe women into the midst of the struggle. In another moment,something came tumbling down upon me that I thought was the wall.It was a heap of Sambos who had come over the wall; and of four menwho clung to my legs like serpents, one who clung to my right legwas Christian George King.

"Yup, So-Jeer," says he, "Christian George King sar berry glad So-Jeer a prisoner. Christian George King been waiting for So-Jeersech long time. Yup, yup!"

What could I do, with five-and-twenty of them on me, but be tiedhand and foot? So, I was tied hand and foot. It was all over now--boats not come back--all lost! When I was fast bound and was put upagainst the wall, the one-eyed English convict came up with thePortuguese Captain, to have a look at me.

"See!" says he. "Here's the determined man! If you had sleptsounder, last night, you'd have slept your soundest last night, mydetermined man."

The Portuguese Captain laughed in a cool way, and with the flat ofhis cutlass, hit me crosswise, as if I was the bough of a tree thathe played with: first on the face, and then across the chest andthe wounded arm. I looked him steady in the face without tumblingwhile he looked at me, I am happy to say; but, when they went away,I fell, and lay there.

The sun was up, when I was roused and told to come down to the beachand be embarked. I was full of aches and pains, and could not atfirst remember; but, I remembered quite soon enough. The killedwere lying about all over the place, and the Pirates were buryingtheir dead, and taking away their wounded on hastily-made litters,to the back of the Island. As for us prisoners, some of their boatshad come round to the usual harbour, to carry us off. We looked awretched few, I thought, when I got down there; still, it wasanother sign that we had fought well, and made the enemy suffer.

The Portuguese Captain had all the women already embarked in theboat he himself commanded, which was just putting off when I gotdown. Miss Maryon sat on one side of him, and gave me a moment'slook, as full of quiet courage, and pity, and confidence, as if ithad been an hour long. On the other side of him was poor littleMrs. Fisher, weeping for her child and her mother. I was shovedinto the same boat with Drooce and Packer, and the remainder of ourparty of marines: of whom we had lost two privates, besidesCharker, my poor, brave comrade. We all made a melancholy passage,under the hot sun over to the mainland. There, we landed in asolitary place, and were mustered on the sea sand. Mr. and Mrs.Macey and their children were amongst us, Mr. and Mrs. Pordage, Mr.Kitten, Mr. Fisher, and Mrs. Belltott. We mustered only fourteenmen, fifteen women, and seven children. Those were all thatremained of the English who had lain down to sleep last night,unsuspecting and happy, on the Island of Silver-Store.

CHAPTER III {1}--THE RAFTS ON THE RIVER

We contrived to keep afloat all that night, and, the stream runningstrong with us, to glide a long way down the river. But, we foundthe night to be a dangerous time for such navigation, on account ofthe eddies and rapids, and it was therefore settled next day that infuture we would bring-to at sunset, and encamp on the shore. As weknew of no boats that the Pirates possessed, up at the Prison in theWoods, we settled always to encamp on the opposite side of thestream, so as to have the breadth of the river between our sleep andthem. Our opinion was, that if they were acquainted with any nearway by land to the mouth of this river, they would come up it inforce, and retake us or kill us, according as they could; but thatif that was not the case, and if the river ran by none of theirsecret stations, we might escape.

When I say we settled this or that, I do not mean that we plannedanything with any confidence as to what might happen an hour hence.So much had happened in one night, and such great changes had beenviolently and suddenly made in the fortunes of many among us, thatwe had got better used to uncertainty, in a little while, than Idare say most people do in the course of their lives.

The difficulties we soon got into, through the off-settings andpoint-currents of the stream, made the likelihood of our beingdrowned, alone,--to say nothing of our being retaken--as broad andplain as the sun at noonday to all of us. But, we all worked hardat managing the rafts, under the direction of the seamen (of our ownskill, I think we never could have prevented them from oversetting),and we also worked hard at making good the defects in their firsthasty construction--which the water soon found out. While we humblyresigned ourselves to going down, if it was the will of Our Fatherthat was in Heaven, we humbly made up our minds, that we would alldo the best that was in us.

And so we held on, gliding with the stream. It drove us to thisbank, and it drove us to that bank, and it turned us, and whirledus; but yet it carried us on. Sometimes much too slowly; sometimesmuch too fast, but yet it carried us on.

My little deaf and dumb boy slumbered a good deal now, and that wasthe case with all the children. They caused very little trouble toany one. They seemed, in my eyes, to get more like one another, notonly in quiet manner, but in the face, too. The motion of the raftwas usually so much the same, the scene was usually so much thesame, the sound of the soft wash and ripple of the water was usuallyso much the same, that they were made drowsy, as they might havebeen by the constant playing of one tune. Even on the grown people,who worked hard and felt anxiety, the same things produced somethingof the same effect. Every day was so like the other, that I soonlost count of the days, myself, and had to ask Miss Maryon, forinstance, whether this was the third or fourth? Miss Maryon had apocket-book and pencil, and she kept the log; that is to say, sheentered up a clear little journal of the time, and of the distancesour seamen thought we had made, each night.

So, as I say, we kept afloat and glided on. All day long, and everyday, the water, and the woods, and sky; all day long, and every day,the constant watching of both sides of the river, and far a-head atevery bold turn and sweep it made, for any signs of Pirate-boats, orPirate-dwellings. So, as I say, we kept afloat and glided on. Thedays melting themselves together to that degree, that I could hardlybelieve my ears when I asked "How many now, Miss?" and she answered"Seven."

To be sure, poor Mr. Pordage had, by about now, got his Diplomaticcoat into such a state as never was seen. What with the mud of theriver, what with the water of the river, what with the sun, and thedews, and the tearing boughs, and the thickets, it hung about him indiscoloured shreds like a mop. The sun had touched him a bit. Hehad taken to always polishing one particular button, which just heldon to his left wrist, and to always calling for stationery. Isuppose that man called for pens, ink, and paper, tape, and scaling-wax, upwards of one thousand times in four-and-twenty hours. He hadan idea that we should never get out of that river unless we werewritten out of it in a formal Memorandum; and the more we labouredat navigating the rafts, the more he ordered us not to touch them atour peril, and the more he sat and roared for stationery.

Mrs. Pordage, similarly, persisted in wearing her nightcap. I doubtif any one but ourselves who had seen the progress of that articleof dress, could by this time have told what it was meant for. Ithad got so limp and ragged that she couldn't see out of her eyes forit. It was so dirty, that whether it was vegetable matter out of aswamp, or weeds out of the river, or an old porter's-knot fromEngland, I don't think any new spectator could have said. Yet, thisunfortunate old woman had a notion that it was not only vastlygenteel, but that it was the correct thing as to propriety. And shereally did carry herself over the other ladies who had no nightcaps,and who were forced to tie up their hair how they could, in asuperior manner that was perfectly amazing.

I don't know what she looked like, sitting in that blessed nightcap,on a log of wood, outside the hut or cabin upon our raft. She wouldhave rather resembled a fortune-teller in one of the picture-booksthat used to be in the shop windows in my boyhood, except for herstateliness. But, Lord bless my heart, the dignity with which shesat and moped, with her head in that bundle of tatters, was likenothing else in the world! She was not on speaking terms with morethan three of the ladies. Some of them had, what she called, "takenprecedence" of her--in getting into, or out of, that miserablelittle shelter!--and others had not called to pay their respects, orsomething of that kind. So, there she sat, in her own state andceremony, while her husband sat on the same log of wood, ordering usone and all to let the raft go to the bottom, and to bring himstationery.

What with this noise on the part of Mr. Commissioner Pordage, andwhat with the cries of Sergeant Drooce on the raft astern (whichwere sometimes more than Tom Packer could silence), we often madeour slow way down the river, anything but quietly. Yet, that it wasof great importance that no ears should be able to hear us from thewoods on the banks, could not be doubted. We were looked for, to acertainty, and we might be retaken at any moment. It was an anxioustime; it was, indeed, indeed, an anxious time.

On the seventh night of our voyage on the rafts, we made fast, asusual, on the opposite side of the river to that from which we hadstarted, in as dark a place as we could pick out. Our littleencampment was soon made, and supper was eaten, and the childrenfell asleep. The watch was set, and everything made orderly for thenight. Such a starlight night, with such blue in the sky, and suchblack in the places of heavy shade on the banks of the great stream!

Those two ladies, Miss Maryon and Mrs. Fisher, had always kept nearme since the night of the attack. Mr. Fisher, who was untiring inthe work of our raft, had said to me:

"My dear little childless wife has grown so attached to you, Davis,and you are such a gentle fellow, as well as such a determined one;"our party had adopted that last expression from the one-eyed Englishpirate, and I repeat what Mr. Fisher said, only because he said it;"that it takes a load off my mind to leave her in your charge."

I said to him: "Your lady is in far better charge than mine, Sir,having Miss Maryon to take care of her; but, you may rely upon it,that I will guard them both--faithful and true."

Says he: "I do rely upon it, Davis, and I heartily wish all thesilver on our old Island was yours."

That seventh starlight night, as I have said, we made our camp, andgot our supper, and set our watch, and the children fell asleep. Itwas solemn and beautiful in those wild and solitary parts, to seethem, every night before they lay down, kneeling under the brightsky, saying their little prayers at women's laps. At that time wemen all uncovered, and mostly kept at a distance. When the innocentcreatures rose up, we murmured "Amen!" all together. For, though wehad not heard what they said, we know it must be good for us.

At that time, too, as was only natural, those poor mothers in ourcompany, whose children had been killed, shed many tears. I thoughtthe sight seemed to console them while it made them cry; but,whether I was right or wrong in that, they wept very much. On thisseventh night, Mrs. Fisher had cried for her lost darling until shecried herself asleep. She was lying on a little couch of leaves andsuch-like (I made the best little couch I could for them everynight), and Miss Maryon had covered her, and sat by her, holding herhand. The stars looked down upon them. As for me, I guarded them.

"Davis!" says Miss Maryon. (I am not going to say what a voice shehad. I couldn't if I tried.)

"I am here, Miss."

"The river sounds as if it were swollen to-night."

"We all think, Miss, that we are coming near the sea."

"Do you believe now, we shall escape?"

"I do now, Miss, really believe it." I had always said I did; but,I had in my own mind been doubtful.

"How glad you will be, my good Davis, to see England again!"

I have another confession to make that will appear singular. Whenshe said these words, something rose in my throat; and the stars Ilooked away at, seemed to break into sparkles that fell down my faceand burnt it.

"England is not much to me, Miss, except as a name."

"O, so true an Englishman should not say that!--Are you not well to-night, Davis?" Very kindly, and with a quick change.

Miss Maryon sat silent for so long a while, that I believed she haddone speaking to me for one time. However, she had not; for by-and-by she said in a distinct clear tone:

"No, good friend; you must not say that England is nothing to you.It is to be much to you, yet--everything to you. You have to takeback to England the good name you have earned here, and thegratitude and attachment and respect you have won here: and youhave to make some good English girl very happy and proud, bymarrying her; and I shall one day see her, I hope, and make herhappier and prouder still, by telling her what noble services herhusband's were in South America, and what a noble friend he was tome there."

Though she spoke these kind words in a cheering manner, she spokethem compassionately. I said nothing. It will appear to be anotherstrange confession, that I paced to and fro, within call, all thatnight, a most unhappy man, reproaching myself all the night long."You are as ignorant as any man alive; you are as obscure as any manalive; you are as poor as any man alive; you are no better than themud under your foot." That was the way in which I went on againstmyself until the morning.

With the day, came the day's labour. What I should have done--without the labour, I don't know. We were afloat again at the usualhour, and were again making our way down the river. It was broader,and clearer of obstructions than it had been, and it seemed to flowfaster. This was one of Drooce's quiet days; Mr. Pordage, besidesbeing sulky, had almost lost his voice; and we made good way, andwith little noise.

There was always a seaman forward on the raft, keeping a brightlook-out. Suddenly, in the full heat of the day, when the childrenwere slumbering, and the very trees and reeds appeared to beslumbering, this man--it was Short--holds up his hand, and crieswith great caution: "Avast! Voices ahead!"

We held on against the stream as soon as we could bring her up, andthe other raft followed suit. At first, Mr. Macey, Mr. Fisher, andmyself, could hear nothing; though both the seamen aboard of usagreed that they could hear voices and oars. After a little pause,however, we united in thinking that we could hear the sound ofvoices, and the dip of oars. But, you can hear a long way in thosecountries, and there was a bend of the river before us, and nothingwas to be seen except such waters and such banks as we were now inthe eighth day (and might, for the matter of our feelings, have beenin the eightieth), of having seen with anxious eyes.

It was soon decided to put a man ashore, who should creep throughthe wood, see what was coming, and warn the rafts. The rafts in themeantime to keep the middle of the stream. The man to be putashore, and not to swim ashore, as the first thing could be morequickly done than the second. The raft conveying him, to get backinto mid-stream, and to hold on along with the other, as well is itcould, until signalled by the man. In case of danger, the man toshift for himself until it should be safe to take him on boardagain. I volunteered to be the man.

We knew that the voices and oars must come up slowly against thestream; and our seamen knew, by the set of the stream, under whichbank they would come. I was put ashore accordingly. The raft gotoff well, and I broke into the wood.

Steaming hot it was, and a tearing place to get through. So muchthe better for me, since it was something to contend against and do.I cut off the bend of the river, at a great saving of space, came tothe water's edge again, and hid myself, and waited. I could nowhear the dip of the oars very distinctly; the voices had ceased.

The sound came on in a regular tune, and as I lay hidden, I fanciedthe tune so played to be, "Chris'en--George--King! Chris'en--George--King! Chris'en--George--King!" over and over again, alwaysthe same, with the pauses always at the same places. I had likewisetime to make up my mind that if these were the Pirates, I could andwould (barring my being shot) swim off to my raft, in spite of mywound, the moment I had given the alarm, and hold my old post byMiss Maryon.

I took a look at the branches about me, to see where a shower ofbullets would be most likely to do me least hurt; and I took a lookback at the track I had made in forcing my way in; and now I waswholly prepared and fully ready for them.

Who were they? The barbarous Pirates, scum of all nations, headedby such men as the hideous little Portuguese monkey, and the one-eyed English convict with the gash across his face, that ought tohave gashed his wicked head off? The worst men in the world pickedout from the worst, to do the cruellest and most atrocious deedsthat ever stained it? The howling, murdering, black-flag waving,mad, and drunken crowd of devils that had overcome us by numbers andby treachery? No. These were English men in English boats--goodblue-jackets and red-coats--marines that I knew myself, and sailorsthat knew our seamen! At the helm of the first boat, CaptainCarton, eager and steady. At the helm of the second boat, CaptainMaryon, brave and bold. At the helm of the third boat, an oldseaman, with determination carved into his watchful face, like thefigure-head of a ship. Every man doubly and trebly armed from headto foot. Every man lying-to at his work, with a will that had allhis heart and soul in it. Every man looking out for any trace offriend or enemy, and burning to be the first to do good or avengeevil. Every man with his face on fire when he saw me, hiscountryman who had been taken prisoner, and hailed me with a cheer,as Captain Carton's boat ran in and took me on board.

I reported, "All escaped, sir! All well, all safe, all here!"

God bless me--and God bless them--what a cheer! It turned me weak,as I was passed on from hand to hand to the stern of the boat:every hand patting me or grasping me in some way or other, in themoment of my going by.

The banks flew by us as if the mightiest stream that ever ran waswith us; and so it was, I am sure, meaning the stream to those men'sardour and spirit. The banks flew by us, and we came in sight ofthe rafts--the banks flew by us, and we came alongside of the rafts--the banks stopped; and there was a tumult of laughing and crying,and kissing and shaking of hands, and catching up of children andsetting of them down again, and a wild hurry of thankfulness and joythat melted every one and softened all hearts.

I had taken notice, in Captain Carton's boat, that there was acurious and quite new sort of fitting on board. It was a kind of alittle bower made of flowers, and it was set up behind the captain,and betwixt him and the rudder. Not only was this arbour, so tocall it, neatly made of flowers, but it was ornamented in a singularway. Some of the men had taken the ribbons and buckles off theirhats, and hung them among the flowers; others had made festoons andstreamers of their handkerchiefs, and hung them there; others hadintermixed such trifles as bits of glass and shining fragments oflockets and tobacco-boxes with the flowers; so that altogether itwas a very bright and lively object in the sunshine. But why there,or what for, I did not understand.

Now, as soon as the first bewilderment was over, Captain Carton gavethe order to land for the present. But this boat of his, with twohands left in her, immediately put off again when the men were outof her, and kept off, some yards from the shore. As she floatedthere, with the two hands gently backing water to keep her fromgoing down the stream, this pretty little arbour attracted manyeyes. None of the boat's crew, however, had anything to say aboutit, except that it was the captain's fancy.

The captain--with the women and children clustering round him, andthe men of all ranks grouped outside them, and all listening--stoodtelling how the Expedition, deceived by its bad intelligence, hadchased the light Pirate boats all that fatal night, and had stillfollowed in their wake next day, and had never suspected until manyhours too late that the great Pirate body had drawn off in thedarkness when the chase began, and shot over to the Island. Hestood telling how the Expedition, supposing the whole array of armedboats to be ahead of it, got tempted into shallows and went aground;but not without having its revenge upon the two decoy-boats, both ofwhich it had come up with, overhand, and sent to the bottom with allon board. He stood telling how the Expedition, fearing then thatthe case stood as it did, got afloat again, by great exertion, afterthe loss of four more tides, and returned to the Island, where theyfound the sloop scuttled and the treasure gone. He stood tellinghow my officer, Lieutenant Linderwood, was left upon the Island,with as strong a force as could be got together hurriedly from themainland, and how the three boats we saw before us were manned andarmed and had come away, exploring the coast and inlets, in searchof any tidings of us. He stood telling all this, with his face tothe river; and, as he stood telling it, the little arbour of flowersfloated in the sunshine before all the faces there.

Leaning on Captain Carton's shoulder, between him and Miss Maryon,was Mrs. Fisher, her head drooping on her arm. She asked him,without raising it, when he had told so much, whether he had foundher mother?

"Be comforted! She lies," said the Captain gently, "under thecocoa-nut trees on the beach."

His voice shook; but there was something in it that struck all thehearers. At that moment there sprung from the arbour in his boat alittle creature, clapping her hands and stretching out her arms, andcrying, "Dear papa! Dear mamma! I am not killed. I am saved. Iam coming to kiss you. Take me to them, take me to them, good, kindsailors!"

Nobody who saw that scene has ever forgotten it, I am sure, or everwill forget it. The child had kept quite still, where her bravegrandmamma had put her (first whispering in her ear, "Whateverhappens to me, do not stir, my dear!"), and had remained quiet untilthe fort was deserted; she had then crept out of the trench, andgone into her mother's house; and there, alone on the solitaryIsland, in her mother's room, and asleep on her mother's bed, theCaptain had found her. Nothing could induce her to be parted fromhim after he took her up in his arms, and he had brought her awaywith him, and the men had made the bower for her. To see those mennow, was a sight. The joy of the women was beautiful; the joy ofthose women who had lost their own children, was quite sacred anddivine; but, the ecstasies of Captain Carton's boat's crew, whentheir pet was restored to her parents, were wonderful for thetenderness they showed in the midst of roughness. As the Captainstood with the child in his arms, and the child's own little armsnow clinging round his neck, now round her father's, now round hermother's, now round some one who pressed up to kiss her, the boat'screw shook hands with one another, waved their hats over theirheads, laughed, sang, cried, danced--and all among themselves,without wanting to interfere with anybody--in a manner never to berepresented. At last, I saw the coxswain and another, two veryhard-faced men, with grizzled heads, who had been the heartiest ofthe hearty all along, close with one another, get each of them theother's head under his arm, and pommel away at it with his fist ashard as he could, in his excess of joy.

When we had well rested and refreshed ourselves--and very glad wewere to have some of the heartening things to eat and drink that hadcome up in the boats--we recommenced our voyage down the river:rafts, and boats, and all. I said to myself, it was a verydifferent kind of voyage now, from what it had been; and I fell intomy proper place and station among my fellow-soldiers.

But, when we halted for the night, I found that Miss Maryon hadspoken to Captain Carton concerning me. For, the Captain camestraight up to me, and says he, "My brave fellow, you have been MissMaryon's body-guard all along, and you shall remain so. Nobodyshall supersede you in the distinction and pleasure of protectingthat young lady." I thanked his honour in the fittest words I couldfind, and that night I was placed on my old post of watching theplace where she slept. More than once in the night, I saw CaptainCarton come out into the air, and stroll about there, to see thatall was well. I have now this other singular confession to make,that I saw him with a heavy heart. Yes; I saw him with a heavy,heavy heart.

In the day-time, I had the like post in Captain Carton's boat. Ihad a special station of my own, behind Miss Maryon, and no handsbut hers ever touched my wound. (It has been healed these many longyears; but, no other hands have ever touched it.) Mr. Pordage waskept tolerably quiet now, with pen and ink, and began to pick up hissenses a little. Seated in the second boat, he made documents withMr. Kitten, pretty well all day; and he generally handed in aProtest about something whenever we stopped. The Captain, however,made so very light of these papers, that it grew into a saying amongthe men, when one of them wanted a match for his pipe, "Hand us overa Protest, Jack!" As to Mrs. Pordage, she still wore the nightcap,and she now had cut all the ladies on account of her not having beenformally and separately rescued by Captain Carton before anybodyelse. The end of Mr. Pordage, to bring to an end all I know abouthim, was, that he got great compliments at home for his conduct onthese trying occasions, and that he died of yellow jaundice, aGovernor and a K.C.B.

Sergeant Drooce had fallen from a high fever into a low one. TomPacker--the only man who could have pulled the Sergeant through it--kept hospital aboard the old raft, and Mrs. Belltott, as brisk asever again (but the spirit of that little woman, when things triedit, was not equal to appearances), was head-nurse under hisdirections. Before we got down to the Mosquito coast, the joke hadbeen made by one of our men, that we should see her gazetted Mrs.Tom Packer, vice Belltott exchanged.

When we reached the coast, we got native boats as substitutes forthe rafts; and we rowed along under the land; and in that beautifulclimate, and upon that beautiful water, the blooming days were likeenchantment. Ah! They were running away, faster than any sea orriver, and there was no tide to bring them back. We were comingvery near the settlement where the people of Silver-Store were to beleft, and from which we Marines were under orders to return toBelize.

Captain Carton had, in the boat by him, a curious long-barrelledSpanish gun, and he had said to Miss Maryon one day that it was thebest of guns, and had turned his head to me, and said:

"Gill Davis, load her fresh with a couple of slugs, against a chanceof showing how good she is."

So, I had discharged the gun over the sea, and had loaded her,according to orders, and there it had lain at the Captain's feet,convenient to the Captain's hand.

The last day but one of our journey was an uncommonly hot day. Westarted very early; but, there was no cool air on the sea as the daygot on, and by noon the heat was really hard to bear, consideringthat there were women and children to bear it. Now, we happened toopen, just at that time, a very pleasant little cove or bay, wherethere was a deep shade from a great growth of trees. Now, theCaptain, therefore, made the signal to the other boats to follow himin and lie by a while.

The men who were off duty went ashore, and lay down, but wereordered, for caution's sake, not to stray, and to keep within view.The others rested on their oars, and dozed. Awnings had been madeof one thing and another, in all the boats, and the passengers foundit cooler to be under them in the shade, when there was room enough,than to be in the thick woods. So, the passengers were all afloat,and mostly sleeping. I kept my post behind Miss Maryon, and she wason Captain Carton's right in the boat, and Mrs. Fisher sat on herright again. The Captain had Mrs. Fisher's daughter on his knee.He and the two ladies were talking about the Pirates, and weretalking softly; partly, because people do talk softly under suchindolent circumstances, and partly because the little girl had goneoff asleep.

I think I have before given it out for my Lady to write down, thatCaptain Carton had a fine bright eye of his own. All at once, hedarted me a side look, as much as to say, "Steady--don't take on--Isee something!"--and gave the child into her mother's arms. Thateye of his was so easy to understand, that I obeyed it by not somuch as looking either to the right or to the left out of a cornerof my own, or changing my attitude the least trifle. The Captainwent on talking in the same mild and easy way; but began--with hisarms resting across his knees, and his head a little hangingforward, as if the heat were rather too much for him--began to playwith the Spanish gun.

"They had laid their plans, you see," says the Captain, taking upthe Spanish gun across his knees, and looking, lazily, at theinlaying on the stock, "with a great deal of art; and the corrupt orblundering local authorities were so easily deceived;" he ran hisleft hand idly along the barrel, but I saw, with my breath held,that he covered the action of cocking the gun with his right--"soeasily deceived, that they summoned us out to come into the trap.But my intention as to future operations--" In a flash the Spanishgun was at his bright eye, and he fired.

All started up; innumerable echoes repeated the sound of thedischarge; a cloud of bright-coloured birds flew out of the woodsscreaming; a handful of leaves were scattered in the place where theshot had struck; a crackling of branches was heard; and some lithebut heavy creature sprang into the air, and fell forward, head down,over the muddy bank.

"What is it?" cries Captain Maryon from his boat. All silent then,but the echoes rolling away.

"It is a Traitor and a Spy," said Captain Carton, handing me the gunto load again. "And I think the other name of the animal isChristian George King!"

Shot through the heart. Some of the people ran round to the spot,and drew him out, with the slime and wet trickling down his face;but his face itself would never stir any more to the end of time.

"Leave him hanging to that tree," cried Captain Carton; his boat'screw giving way, and he leaping ashore. "But first into this wood,every man in his place. And boats! Out of gunshot!"

It was a quick change, well meant and well made, though it ended indisappointment. No Pirates were there; no one but the Spy wasfound. It was supposed that the Pirates, unable to retake us, andexpecting a great attack upon them to be the consequence of ourescape, had made from the ruins in the Forest, taken to their shipalong with the Treasure, and left the Spy to pick up whatintelligence he could. In the evening we went away, and he was lefthanging to the tree, all alone, with the red sun making a kind of adead sunset on his black face.

Next day, we gained the settlement on the Mosquito coast for whichwe were bound. Having stayed there to refresh seven days, andhaving been much commended, and highly spoken of, and finelyentertained, we Marines stood under orders to march from the Town-Gate (it was neither much of a town nor much of a gate), at five inthe morning.

My officer had joined us before then. When we turned out at thegate, all the people were there; in the front of them all those whohad been our fellow-prisoners, and all the seamen.

"Davis," says Lieutenant Linderwood. "Stand out, my friend!"

I stood out from the ranks, and Miss Maryon and Captain Carton cameup to me.

"Dear Davis," says Miss Maryon, while the tears fell fast down herface, "your grateful friends, in most unwillingly taking leave ofyou, ask the favour that, while you bear away with you theiraffectionate remembrance, which nothing can ever impair, you willalso take this purse of money--far more valuable to you, we allknow, for the deep attachment and thankfulness with which it isoffered, than for its own contents, though we hope those may proveuseful to you, too, in after life."

I got out, in answer, that I thankfully accepted the attachment andaffection, but not the money. Captain Carton looked at me veryattentively, and stepped back, and moved away. I made him my bow ashe stepped back, to thank him for being so delicate.

"No, miss," said I, "I think it would break my heart to accept ofmoney. But, if you could condescend to give to a man so ignorantand common as myself, any little thing you have worn--such as a bitof ribbon--"

She took a ring from her finger, and put it in my hand. And sherested her hand in mine, while she said these words:

"The brave gentlemen of old--but not one of them was braver, or hada nobler nature than you--took such gifts from ladies, and did alltheir good actions for the givers' sakes. If you will do yours formine, I shall think with pride that I continue to have some share inthe life of a gallant and generous man."

For the second time in my life she kissed my hand. I made so bold,for the first time, as to kiss hers; and I tied the ring at mybreast, and I fell back to my place.

Then, the horse-litter went out at the gate with Sergeant Drooce init; and the horse-litter went out at the gate with Mrs. Belltott init; and Lieutenant Linderwood gave the word of command, "Quickmarch!" and, cheered and cried for, we went out of the gate too,marching along the level plain towards the serene blue sky, as if wewere marching straight to Heaven.

When I have added here that the Pirate scheme was blown to shivers,by the Pirate-ship which had the Treasure on board being sovigorously attacked by one of His Majesty's cruisers, among the WestIndia Keys, and being so swiftly boarded and carried, that nobodysuspected anything about the scheme until three-fourths of thePirates were killed, and the other fourth were in irons, and theTreasure was recovered; I come to the last singular confession Ihave got to make.

It is this. I well knew what an immense and hopeless distance therewas between me and Miss Maryon; I well knew that I was no fittercompany for her than I was for the angels; I well knew, that she wasas high above my reach as the sky over my head; and yet I loved her.What put it in my low heart to be so daring, or whether such a thingever happened before or since, as that a man so uninstructed andobscure as myself got his unhappy thoughts lifted up to such aheight, while knowing very well how presumptuous and impossible tobe realised they were, I am unable to say; still, the suffering tome was just as great as if I had been a gentleman. I sufferedagony--agony. I suffered hard, and I suffered long. I thought ofher last words to me, however, and I never disgraced them. If ithad not been for those dear words, I think I should have lost myselfin despair and recklessness.

The ring will be found lying on my heart, of course, and will belaid with me wherever I am laid. I am getting on in years now,though I am able and hearty. I was recommended for promotion, andeverything was done to reward me that could be done; but my totalwant of all learning stood in my way, and I found myself socompletely out of the road to it that I could not conquer anylearning, though I tried. I was long in the service, and Irespected it, and was respected in it, and the service is dear to meat this present hour.

At this present hour, when I give this out to my Lady to be writtendown, all my old pain has softened away, and I am as happy as a mancan be, at this present fine old country-house of Admiral Sir GeorgeCarton, Baronet. It was my Lady Carton who herself sought me out,over a great many miles of the wide world, and found me in Hospitalwounded, and brought me here. It is my Lady Carton who writes downmy words. My Lady was Miss Maryon. And now, that I conclude what Ihad to tell, I see my Lady's honoured gray hair droop over her face,as she leans a little lower at her desk; and I fervently thank herfor being so tender as I see she is, towards the past pain andtrouble of her poor, old, faithful, humble soldier.

Footnotes:

{1} Dicken's didn't write the second chapter and it is omitted inthis edition. In it the prisoners are firstly made a ransom of forthe treasure left on the Island and then manage to escape from thePirates.
Вернуться назад